President Trump Just Released a Memo Officially Banning Transgender Troops

In an effort to prove that he’s awful no matter what hour of the day it is, President Trump announced tonight that he will stick with his ban on transgender soldiers in the military. In a memo released Friday night, the White House said that transgender individuals are “disqualified from military service except under limited circumstances.”

The full ban had been set to officially take effect today, though a pair of federal courts in December did order the U.S. military to allow the recruitment of transgender citizens into the armed forces despite Trump’s declaration. With these court decisions, it remains to be seen what legal battles will erupt over tonight’s memo. As it reads:

“Transgender persons with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria ― individuals who the policies state may require substantial medical treatment, including medications and surgery ― are disqualified from military service except under certain limited circumstances.”

It was in July of last year that Trump surprised everyone — including the Pentagon — with a series of tweets banning transgender citizens from the armed forces because of the supposed “burden” of their “tremendous medical costs," which is factually incorrect given that transition-related medical costs make up a fraction of the budget.